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that of preferving a whole people. " And

now (as he tells his brethren) be not angry that ye fold me hither, for God did fend me "before you to preferve life."--And though in every instance the whole proceeding of God Almighty may not be made out fo plainly as it is in the cafe of Jofeph, yet we may be affured that in every inftance God works in the fame way; and that, if good men make a right use of their afflictions, they will always, in fome way, find their happiness in them.

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Even fuppofe the good man fhould not meet with his compensation in this world, and the bad man fhould carry his profperity to the end of it, what then? Does this prove any thing in favour of wickednefs? By no means, certainly. While we believe in a future ftate, we must believė alfo, that as the period of our existence is not yet complete, there is ample room hereafter to fet all things right. During his paffage through this world, the good man may have many faults which may want correction; and the bad man may have fome virtues, which God may be pleafed to reward. Hereafter, however, all things will be duly weighed, and adjusted with great exactnefs; for the Almighty's plans with regard to mankind

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mankind begin indeed in this world, but are completed in the next.

LET us now fee, as was propofed fecondly, what particular conclufions arife from what hath been faid.

In the first place, let us convince ourselves of the folly of envying the condition of others; or, of being diffatisfied with our own. Unless we knew all the circumstances of every cafe, which we never can know, we may fometimes envy what would prove a mischief; and fometimes deplore, what is in fact a bleffing.

Again, though virtue and vice have a tendency to produce happiness or mifery in this world, yet we see they sometimes change this natural order, and vice laughs, while virtue is in tears. This fhould teach us not to truft our happiness on these uncertain things; but to repose ourselves on the hopes of a better life, where our virtue is fure of reward, whatever measure it meets with here.

Thirdly, the events of this world fhew us, that it could never have been meant for a place either of full reward, or of complete punishment. This fuggeftion, therefore, greatly strengthens the argument

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gument for a future ftate. If a juft God prefide over the affairs of this world, we cannot but suppose he must either here or hereafter bring things to a balance.

Laftly, we ought to lay it down as a certain rule, from which we ought never to depart, that nothing can be our real intereft, but what is alfo our duty; and that our duty always is our real intereft. We fhould therefore fix in our minds a firm perfuafion--a fteady refolution, never to yield to any folicitations of pleasure, or intereft, that may draw us afide from our duty; nor be affrighted from it by any difficulties with which the world may threaten us. Our duty fhould always be the great pole-ftar to direct us: we fhould have it always in our eye: the current may drive us, or the ftorm may force us from our courfe; but ftill we should endeavour to recover it, and never be at reft till it appear again in fight. The religious man may furely turn every event to his fpiritual advantage. As all nature is at God's difpofal, we may reft fatisfied that He, who fuffereth not a fparrow to fall to the ground without his knowledge, will not fuffer his faithful fervants to be afflicted beyond what is proper for them.Let us then to the last

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hold fast our integrity, and not be weary of well-doing; affuring ourselves, that nothing is more true than the doctrine of the text;-that what a man foweth, that he fhall alfo reap: for he that foweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that foweth to the fpirit, fhall of the fpirit reap life everlasting.

SERMON XIII,

EPH. V. 16.

REDEEMING THE TIME, BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL.

THIS paffage occurs twice in fcripture. In

the epistle to the Coloffians, it appears rather as a prudential caution. It is introduced with these words: Walking with wifdom towards them that are without t-But in the paffage before us, I

*The fame word, ayopata, is made ufe of in purchafing a commodity, and in redeeming the world by Chrift. This laxnefs, I fhould think, might bring fome little difficulty on the doctrine of the redemption, if it were not fecured by various other modes of expreffing the fame idea; fuch as, Ephef. i. 14.1 Theff. v. 10.-1 Tim. i. 15.-1 Tim. ii. 6. 2 Tim. ii. 10.-Titus, ii. 14.-Heb. i. 3.-xi. 14, 17.Heb. iv. 16.-v. 9.-vii. 25 & 27.-Heb. ix. 12, 28, &c. + Coloff. iv. 5.

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